


Worse than Rush Hour on the 95

by FridaysAt9



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:08:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21926467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FridaysAt9/pseuds/FridaysAt9
Summary: Mulder has had them busy for weeks and left no time for Scully to get her Christmas shopping done. It's Christmas Eve and she has reached her limit with the crowded mall. Only one problem- Mulder is the last person she needs a gift for.Season six, pre-How the Ghosts Stole Christmas.Fluffy, Christmas goodness.
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	Worse than Rush Hour on the 95

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for no beta and any errors that may be in here. This idea just popped into my head and I wanted to get it all down (and posted) before Christmas! Hope you enjoy!

This was the last place she wanted to be. Well, other than maybe anywhere within smelling distance of that fluke man, but other than that, the mall on Christmas Eve was at the bottom of her list. 

Mulder had had them running so ragged lately that Scully was egregiously behind on her Christmas shopping. They had so recently nearly lost their lives in Antarctica and ever since, he seemed hell bent on hitting the ground running, taking little time for rest, jumping from case to case with the enthusiasm of an agent fresh out of the academy. Scully was just happy to see him alive, to be alive, so she was possibly more willing than usual to follow his hunches and look for the answers to the unexplained questions he found. 

But now here it was, nearly Christmas, and she was buried in a hoard of shoppers, sweating in the coat she should have left in her car, and her list still wasn’t completed. She was usually so on top of these things, starting her shopping with an early morning trip to the stores with her mother on Black Friday, and having everything wrapped with at least a week to spare. But lately, being Mulder’s partner, or maybe his friend, was becoming an all consuming job. Not that she was upset by that, mind you. They had been spending more time together since their conversation in his hallway, “conversation” being a loaded word in this case, taking longer lunches, finding reasons to visit each other at their apartments after work. And she enjoyed being in his company, but she wasn’t often left with much time for herself. 

Scully struggled with the bags in her hands as she thought about taking off her jacket to get some relief from the heat that was blasting through the store. The line was at least fifteen people deep, and she was seriously starting to consider ditching the sweater for her sister-in-law in favor of practically anything from a store without a line. 

While she shuffled forward behind a mother with a crying baby, cursing herself for buying a heavy vase for her mother at the first store she entered so she could drag it around for hours, she heard the first tell-tale notes of _Silent Night_ blasting through the store. Again. If she heard this god damned song one more time she would pull her gun and clear this line the fast way.

God, she needed to get something to eat. 

After finally paying for the sweater, which of course was one of likely five full-priced items in the whole store, Scully took her bags and the jacket she had slung across her arm to a coffee shop she and Mulder often frequented to get some much needed caffeine and sugar. Mulder was the last person on her shopping list and she was at a complete loss for what to get for him. They had agreed to not exchange this year, but things had been changing between them lately and she couldn’t imagine not getting him anything. If she was honest with herself, which she tried not to be when it came to this topic, he was possibly the most important person in her life at this point. While she still turned to her mother for many things, he was the one she wanted to call when she heard something funny or was feeling lonely. He had called her his constant and he was hers.

But knowing that she wanted to get something for Mulder and knowing _what_ she wanted to get Mulder were two completely different things. In the past, when things between then had been more platonic, when they hadn’t held hands as frequently and neither of them had glimpsed the other naked, she would have bought him a funny alien mug or a tie that was his particular brand of hideous, but this year, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be funny, pragmatic or sweet. What if her gift didn’t mean enough to him? What if it meant too much? 

What do you get for your coworker/partner/best friend/man you are unwilling to admit that you love? 

After making her way through another line, she had a hot coffee and a blueberry muffin to hold her over, but no more of an idea what she should get for Mulder. 

She was walking aimlessly through the mall while juggling her coffee and trying to eat the muffin, when she heard the trill of her cell phone. Probably Mulder reading her mind, psychically aware of the fact that her hands were already over full. 

Leaning up against a wall with her bags spread around her feet and her coffee and muffin balanced in one hand, she jabbed at the button and her phone and said, “Scully.” 

“Dana it’s me. Are you okay sweetie?” her mom said, with a tone of concern. 

“Yes Mom, I’m fine,” she answered, with a roll of her eyes. She wasn’t actually annoyed with her mom, she was just exhausted and not in the mood to talk to _anyone_. She took a sip of her coffee and tried to breathe. 

“I’m at the mall,” she said, with a more pleasant tone. “I just had a few more gifts to get. I’m almost done.”

“Oh, okay,” her mom said, sounding relieved. Scully tried not to worry her, but her life and all of the struggles she had been through left her mom permanently on edge. Hearing at least once a year that your daughter had been hospitalized, kidnapped, or was near death would do that to you. The slightest hitch in Scully’s voice sent her spiraling into worst case scenarios. Most of which were probably warranted. 

“You’re still coming for breakfast, right?” her mom asked.

“Of course, Mom,” she said with her mouth full of muffin. _Silent Night_ played over the P.A. system. She wished her coffee had come heavily spiked. 

“First thing, Dana,” her mom said in her best mom voice. “6 am presents so we can make it to 9:00 mass.”

If Scully could go back in time to get her younger self to sleep in on Christmas morning to prevent this early morning tradition that just wouldn’t quit, she would do it in a heartbeat. 

“Yes, Mom.”

“Young lady,” her mom scolded, “what is with the attitude?”

She took a breath and rolled her head from side to side. “I’m sorry, Mom,” she said. “You know I love Christmas morning. I’m just tired and these crowds and the thought of getting up early has me feeling Grinchy.”

“Go home and take a warm bath, sweetie,” her mom soothed. “And then we will see you in the morning.”

Scully smiled. A bath and a nice glass of wine, followed by some Christmas wrapping sounded like a perfect night.

“Oh and honey,” her mom said, pulling her back. “Don’t let me forget to give you the little gift I picked up for Fox.”

“Mom…” she whined like a teenager.

“Oh don’t be that way,” her mom said. “That man keeps you safe. The least I can do is give him a little something.”

Scully couldn’t even figure out what to get him, and her mother had already selected and wrapped a gift for him. Typical.

After hanging up with her mother and making a pit-stop at her car to drop off her bags to save herself the schlepping, Scully found herself in a video store holding a copy of _It’s a Wonderful Life_ in one hand and _The Best of the Twilight Zone_ in the other. 

What the hell was she doing? A video? Really Dana? Like Mulder needed any more videos, though a clean one every now and then would be a nice change of pace. She felt like a teenager trying to find the perfect gift for her brand new boyfriend. This was Mulder. She had spent nearly every day of the past six years with him. She should be able to pick out a simple gift. 

She was overthinking it. 

As she was about to give up and put both tapes back on the shelf, she heard her phone ring. 

“Scully.”

“Hey G-woman. What’s shakin'?”

She couldn’t keep the half smile from crawling across her face. 

“I’m actually finishing my Christmas shopping, Mulder,” she said. “You know Christmas. That holiday that is right around the corner for which I have had zero time to do any planning.”

“Come on, Scully,” he said, his voice light, and full of cheer. “We haven’t been that busy.”

“California, Nevada,” she said, mentally ticking off the past few weeks. “Brain disease, hospital stay…”

“Alright, alright,” he said with a laugh. A laugh that always sent butterflies to her stomach. “Are you done?”

“Almost.”

“Great,” he said, full of excitement. “I need you to meet me somewhere.” 

“Mulder…”

“Just do this for me, Scully,” he said. “It’s Christmas.”

“That’s my point.”

“Please?”

Why couldn’t she ever say no. She needed to start saying no. Maybe in January. “Fine. What’s the address?”

She wrote the address he gave her on a receipt she found in her pocket and looked at the two discarded VHS tapes. _It’s a Wonderful Life._ Maybe after wherever they were going tonight they could watch it together. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I recently edited this because I noticed a huuuuge error. Let’s blame it on the fact that this is my second fanfic ever. I will get better, I promise! Thanks for reading!


End file.
